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2004 | ISSUE 7 |
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You know you have a problem when you ask
one of your people a question and their answer is along the lines of “You’re the boss - you should know what to do”. The solution to this situation is to turn
your ‘staff’
into a ‘team’. Team building can transform your business into a smooth
running, harmonious workplace with better interpersonal relationships and a
greater level of satisfaction for all
involved. But it has to start with you. One of the keys to building a team is to
systematise the business’ processes and operations. This might sound like a mechanical
rather than a personal approach to fixing the problem, but if you think about it, this makes good sense. Systems make it possible for team members
to work together better because they understand one another’s job and can pitch in when help
is needed. This means less opportunity for people to develop the ‘this is my
job - keep your hands off’ attitude. Real team players don’t try to keep their job functions a secret to protect
themselves. If your business has good systems in
place, that are communicated to everybody on the team and well understood,
then you’ve already gone a long way to creating a better place to work, as well as a much more
efficient one. Another key to team-building is for the
business to have clearly defined goals. This enables a commitment to
achieving these goals to be shared by all the members of the team. Whenever possible, involve your team in
the design of systems and the defining of the businesses’ goals. This will give them a
feeling of participation in decision making instead of them just coming as a
dictate from above. Seek their input into updating the systems
they work with and let them have their say about how the business can achieve
its goals. This will take a big load off your own shoulders and give them a
feeling of genuine ownership. You’ll need to accept that your team isn’t
necessarily going to do things in
exactly the same way as you do. You might also have to accept that, for a
while at least, they won’t do some things as well as you do them. It’s
up to you to bring their performance up to the standard you want by providing
the opportunities for them to
improve. The worst possible example you can set
while trying to build a team is to become impatient and say things such as: “That’s wrong. I might as well do it myself”. Give others a chance to perform and with adequate support they’ll
measure up. Now look at your business and see how many of these team building
characteristics you already have in place: ·
A shared vision for the business ·
Well-understood goals to which team members can commit themselves ·
Enthusiasm for achieving these goals ·
Strong leadership along with a sharing of responsibilities ·
Effective decision making processes ·
Team members who feel appropriately recognised for their contribution to the
business ·
A spirit of working together How did your business rate? Chances are
you found that there’s still room for a bit more team building. Well, there’s no time to start like now. Call a meeting of your
team and be open with them. Tell them what you’re
trying to do and let them tell
you what they think. That’s how it begins - and exactly how the process should work from
then on if you want a team rather than just a staff.
Make A Friend And Make The A lot of our business life is spent
selling. We have to sell our products and services, of course, but that’s only part of it. What we really
have to sell is ourselves. Human nature is pretty consistent. If we’re going to purchase something we
prefer to do it from a person we like. That means somebody we trust and with
whom we feel an affinity of some sort. Research into consumer buying patterns
continually shows that this is at least as critical as any other aspect of
making a sale. The products and services you’re selling are important too, of
course, but usually these, or very similar products and services, are
available from other sources. Unless you’ve got the
trust of your prospect and they like you, you probably won’t get the sale. How do you create this trust? How can you
make somebody you’ve never previously met like you
when you’re trying to sell them something? Try incorporating these simple techniques
into your selling to gain customer trust. 1.
Be interested in the customer. Actively listen to what they have to say. Too
often we’re busy thinking about what our
response will be to comments they have made rather than listening to what
they are actually telling us. This means
we miss out on all the opportunities they are providing us with to learn what
it is they really want and to fashion our response to answer just how we’ll do that. o:p> 2.
Ask questions that actually draw information out of the prospect about their
particular needs. Open-ended questions work a lot better than just ones that
can be answered ‘yes’ or ‘no’. Make it a rule to listen more than you talk,
even if the other person doesn’t seem to be saying
much; and don’t try to dominate the conversation. 3.
Sell the benefits, not the product. It’s amazing how many competent sales
professionals fall down on this point. The product may have some brilliant
features, but what your prospect really wants to know is how they’ll benefit from owning it. This means that you need
to first find out what they need, then tell
them how your product or service will deliver it. 4.
Prepare for objections. Objections aren’t necessarily a negative and can,
in fact, be a very strong buying signal. The more expensive the item the more
likely it is that the prospect has a need
to justify the expenditure. When they query price you can help them with
their decision by staying positive rather than going on the defensive. 5.
Don’t let nerves get the better of
you. It’s normal to be a bit nervous about ‘selling’ but this can be a real turn-off. Who wants to be
around somebody whose palms are sweaty and hands are shaking? So relax and
focus on trying to help your prospect through the decision. Think of your
role as one of guiding rather than arm
bending. 6.
Live up to their expectations. What do you hope for when embarking on a
purchasing expedition? Generally, it’s that you will meet with friendly
people who are helpful without being pushy; people who are neatly presented
and full of product knowledge. Is
this you? You don’t have to be a clone of your prospect’s vision of ‘the perfect salesperson’, but you
should resemble it enough to win their trust. 7.
Do your homework, its part of being helpful. Learn all you can about your
competitors, their pricing, their product’s features and benefits, and how
they sell the same sort of product or service as you do. Your prospects want
you to be an expert, or at least know a lot more than they do, about what you’re selling and why you’re
the best business to deal
with. The relationship
between the salesperson and the prospect is at least as important as what it is that’s being sold. This isn’t all there is to learn about
salesmanship, but it is one of the essential basics that everybody in business needs to know and practice.
What’s the first thing you do when you get a postcard in the mail?
If you’re like most people you’ll
turn it over. Regardless of what’s on the first
side we see, we always look at the other side. That’s
instant involvement! Compare this to the fate that befalls a
letter that’s been identified as advertising
material. Studies show that most
people don’t open every piece of mail they
get. They’re selective about what they even bother
to open, let alone actually read. Think of the waste involved in printing and
sending something that goes straight into the wastebasket without being
opened or, even if opened, is then disposed of without being read. Postcards are often overlooked when it
comes to considering promotional tactics but in fact they have lots of advantages
over other forms of mailout: ·
They’re inexpensive to produce; you can
even make your own postcards ·
They’re inexpensive to distribute ·
There’s no work folding and inserting
them into envelopes ·
Well designed postcards have a lot of visual impact ·
Nothing hides the message on a postcard There are two ways of describing the ideal
postcard. The first is that it would look good on a refrigerator door. The
second is that it would make a good billboard. This translates as a clear, uncluttered
piece of communication without too many words and with attractive graphic
elements that enable the message to be conveyed quickly. If you can come up
with a postcard that possesses these attributes, you’ve got the right idea. As long as you have a good quality printer
you can even make your own postcards. This can add ‘homemade appeal’ to your
message. Just be sure you comply with any applicable postal regulations. Your business name and logo should stand
out on a postcard. It’s a good way to
introduce yourself to someone who’s never previously heard of your business. Many businesses send out different mailing
pieces to the same list each year but always use the same style
envelope. What happens every time the person sees that envelope? They know what’s in it and unless they have
actually been thinking that they need something from this company, then into
the wastebasket it goes. With postcards, you’re able to send out something
different every time. Even if you send a card to your mailing list every month you can make it a different card so
that you pique the recipient’s curiosity twelve times a year. Think of how versatile a postcard can be.
This is just a partial list of the many uses for this promotions tool: ·
Say ‘thank you’ - for an order, for an inquiry, for anything you appreciate ·
An after sale follow-up - thank customers for their purchase and remind
them of your guarantee or service offering ·
A gift certificate as a means of introducing yourself to prospects or
rewarding current customers – ‘Bring this card in and save $5 off your next purchase’.
Postcards are very easy to redeem in this way but you could equally ask them
to quote a code number on the postcard if ordering by mail or over your
website. And redeemed postcards allow you
to easily establish the success of your campaign. Postcards used as offers
are a good incentive for people to do business with you. ·
An announcement of something new – your new website, an award you have won, a new product or an upcoming sale ·
A reminder - ‘It’s been twelve months since your
last visit’ or, ‘Your car is now due for service’ ·
To test an offer – send out just a small initial mailing and if the response is
worthwhile go for a larger run Postcards can be a simple prompt for
customers to get in touch with you. They can direct people to your website to
find out more about something that they’re interested in. Here are some straightforward cheap and
quick techniques for making postcards work for you. ·
Be single-minded. Don’t try to communicate a lot of details; a postcard should carry
only one key thought or message.o:p> ·
Be brief. Use as few words as possible, and if a picture will substitute for
a lot of words, use the picture. ·
Be brief. Use as few words as possible, and if a picture will substitute for
a lot of words, use the picture. ·
Use a postage stamp. It makes it look less ‘businesslike’. ·
Don’t expect
a postcard to close the sale. The primary purpose is to gain attention and interest the prospect in learning
more. ·
Make it look like a message from a friend or some other kind of personal
correspondence. ·
Go for a slightly bigger size than standard. This will make your postcard
stand out from any others in the mailbox and won’t cost much extra to print. Do postcards replace other materials like letters,
brochures or catalogues? No, but they can help you make sure these other
items aren’t just sent out to be thrown into
the nearest waste receptacle.
Deliver An Award-Winning Performance
Watch people visiting any business. If
they wait in the reception area they’ll look at the walls to see what’s there. Not at
the paintings, but at the awards and other certificates that are on display.
An award builds security in their decision to use your company. Awards are conferred by trade
organisations, chambers of commerce, magazines and newspapers, and government
agencies of many kinds. They’re generally part of a publicity effort for the organisation
giving the award and so tend to be well promoted. This is of great benefit to
the winners, naturally. There are so many kinds of awards you can
win; for team members, for your products or services, for your business as a
whole and even for your work practices. You won’t join the list of award winners
without some work on your part, but it’s
surprisingly simple and you usually don’t have to
spend a lot of money to earn one of those
elegantly designed certificates for your own wall. Start by looking around for the sorts of
award you believe you could compete for - do some research on the Internet
and keep an eye on the business and consumer press. Develop a calendar of application dates
early in the year so you can plan your entries and dedicate sufficient
resources to the quest. If you think you stand a chance, then don’t be hesitant about entering for
the award. Many awards receive surprisingly few entries, which works in favour of those who actually do take the trouble to
enter. Once you find an award contest that you’re eligible to enter, obtain all
the paperwork and read it carefully. Be sure to follow all the directions so
as to avoid being disqualified on a technicality.
Judges like to compare similar entries and if yours is out of line with the
others you’ll probably rule yourself
out from the start. Look for clues to the qualities that will
be most appreciated by the judges and don’t make any assumptions. Spell everything out and be sure to provide supporting evidence
for any claims you make; don’t just say you’ve reduced workshop pollution;
state how, and by how much. Put everything together in a professional
submission. If photographs are required the prints should be high-quality and
clearly show everything you’re trying to illustrate. Double check all the text to eliminate
any chance of spelling errors. Put a bit of effort into the graphics
elements. Use a page layout that enables the illustrations to be presented to
maximum effect. Choose a typeface that’s appropriate to the subject -
getting too fancy can obscure the content of the submission. Be sure your entry is received ahead of
the deadline. Contests are always beset with last-minute entries so get yours
in ahead of time and you’ll stand out from the crowd. If you’re being judged on an exhibit or
trade display, share this knowledge with your team and offer some kind of reward if the business wins the
award. This helps keep everyone on their toes and so will improve your
chances of winning. Winning an award can be extremely valuable
for your sales and marketing activities as well as team morale. It’s worth putting in the effort to
enter as many award contests as possible. And when you do win one, publicise
your success as much as possible - including putting the certificate in a
prominent place in your office!
“A man will
fight harder for his interests than for his rights.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
How to make the most of your newsletter Be sure
to read each article with the mindset "How could this apply to our
business." Thinking of it that way will guarantee that you get value.
Better yet, take notes as you read and commit to having the ideas implemented
by the time the next edition arrives. Also, make copies for each team member.
To really make sure something positive happens, work with your business
development specialist to talk your team through the ideas and how to set a
schedule for getting them implemented. We're here to help you get started.
While every effort has been
made to provide valuable, useful information in this publication, this firm
and any related suppliers or associated companies accept no responsibility or
any form of liability from reliance upon or use of its contents. Any
suggestions should be considered carefully within your own particular
circumstances, as they are intended as general information only.
Terms
of use All rights to the content in this publication are
reserved by RAN ONE Inc. Any use of the content outside of this format must
acknowledge RAN ONE Inc. as the original source.
© 2004 RAN ONE
Inc |
